Death is the only hope for life

Death is the only hope for life

“I”m not in danger, yes I migrate illegally because the living conditions are difficult here, it is impossible to find solutions … I”m trying to live, but I always fail … and in spite of being arrested and facing death, I will not hesitate to try again to achieve my dream to live in Europe, death by drowning at sea is better than living oppressed in this country”


 


This report is issue (No. 67) of the Economic & Social Rights series, issued by the land Center. The report aims to identify the extent and causes of the phenomenon of illegal migration from the point of view of illegal immigrants themselves, according to articles published in some Egyptian newspapers during 2008, which have amounted to (76) incidents resulting in the drowning of (503) people and (527) others reported missing. The report shows that (2941) people from different Egyptian governorates were swindled by travel contractors.


 


The main countries of destination were Italy (39) cases, Greece (16) cases, Libya (11) cases, Turkey (2) cases, and all of the Netherlands, Romania, Norway, Malta and the UAE one case each.


 


The report shows that there are immigrants other than Egyptians from some African countries, East and Central Asia who have been also subject to swindle and drowning, reaching (9) cases. The number of people of other nationalities other than Egyptians has reached (100) immigrants.


 


The report shows the absent role of the Ministry of Manpower and the Union of Egyptian Workers in the protection of migrants workers, or dealing with their problems. The report shows the negligence of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its embassy in the protection of the rights of Egyptians working abroad, the role of abusive security forces to arrest immigrants and the absent role of businessmen in solving the problems of the society .


 


The report discussed the initiative of some businessmen, launched through the press to solve the problems of illegal immigrants, the report confirmed that this initiative didn”t prevent the increase in this phenomenon in 2009.


 


The report emphasizes the lack of visibility to the programs or specialized councils or the ruling party, and the report called the members of the People”s Assembly for the need to control the work of the government and participation to introduce a law to address the problems of young people and to stop their attempts to escape as they are part of our human wealth!!.


 


The report criticized the government security attempt to deal with the phenomenon without addressing the problems of local communities and improve human rights conditions.


 


The report also criticizes the EU”s negative role after its adoption in June 18, 2008 to a new recommendation on common standards and procedures for return foreigners who do not have papers to stay in the EU, and the recommendation allows the arrest of illegal immigrants for up to 18 months – and instead of EU governments to ensure protection of the rights of migrants and a commitment to the application of codes of the International Labor … The new recommendations call for their arrest to challenge the provisions of the Convention on the rights of immigrants!!


 


The report deals with the reasons for the increase of illegal migration in Egypt, which underlines the deterioration associated with the human rights situation and the reduction of labor markets in the Gulf countries and the increasing negative effects of the application of economic liberalization policies, especially in the countryside and the increasing needs of European labor markets to more informal employment deprived of their rights, social insurance, health and labor and this, combined with the proliferation of crimes after the revolution of electronic communications networks and ease the work of such recruitment, as well as the impact of kinship and neighborly relations in the growing phenomenon, especially in rural areas, and the inability of the Egyptian government during the past 30 years for the provision of decent work opportunities, but infringement of the rights of workers and violation of the social balance and violations of civil rights and undermining the guarantees less to live decent security. These policies have contributed to high levels of poverty among the Egyptians as more than 40% of the people have income that is less than 2 dollars a day, and increased unemployment rates of more than 11% of the total staff has increased with the government of corruption and wasted away the principle of equal opportunities among citizens, which hit the youth and small producers of despair and frustration That led to the increasing social strata near the indispensable power.


 


The report confirms that about 20% of Egyptians have access to about 50% of national income. It also shows the dangers of illegal migration for the migrant and his family and his village and his country, where the immigrant suffered from marginalization, being deprived of their rights if the new Bmojtmah successful attempt illegal immigration, criminal, and shall be treated as an undesirable alternative in the community is threatened and under siege from all sides, the owner of the house, work, police and neighbors, and become migrant scapegoat for social ills and failures of government policies do not have any rights of migrants at all in the country of immigration and thus exposed to exploitation by employers, smugglers and the various authorities and live in constant fear.


 


Illegal immigrants tell horrific stories of abuse to which they are exposed to, which may eventually deprive them of the “identity”. The illegal immigrants who succeed in reaching Europe, living in isolated areas like a prison, and they are living without a permit or official documents, the law does not recognize them and turn out the scope of protection of their human rights and are easy prey to extortion and exploitation, especially prostitution and trafficking networks, as are most arrest and detention in places other than exposed parts of women and children to the worst forms of exploitation are trafficked. The report shows how violations of the rights of migrants, legal and illegal detention and subjected to exploitation and denial of fair trial is the confiscation of documents and the denial of equal access to the right of citizens of the country or with the legitimate migrant education and health care, adequate housing and decent work and security and violates their civil rights in the belief and opinion and the formation of trade unions and associations, With all that, the illegal immigrant is a dream that even if the migration is illegal is the only hope for life.


 


This is despite the fact that those who fail in immigration face detention, humiliation and torture by local authorities. Many of the detainees says, “they were stripped naked and humiliated and tortured by the officers and informers,” in addition to the loss of their money after it was captured by immigration agents and subjected to imprisonment because of debts paid Aguetrdahm to the broker in addition to most of the possibilities and potential of young migrants loses home as part of its wealth of human and non-legal immigrants lost in the end result of his trying to escape from home.


 


Then the report reviews the results of illegal migration for the migrants are arrested and detained and the loss of identity and the prosecution authorities, but he gets a job security and a decent life if it managed to reach Europe. The report asks why the immigrants have to risk and sacrifice their lives? Is our country in the absence of opportunities for safe working?


 


Immigrants say that they were forced to do so because of poor working conditions do not pay enough in decent work and trade unions to defend their rights or to represent them in negotiations with employers or government agencies .. It was exploited and deprived of their rights.


 


Others say, “we tried to open a small, but we were surprised some civil servants are the liberalization of irregularities to force us to pay royalties,” and others have suffered from discrimination against them because of the interest and support of those governmental services and policies to the interests of businessmen and powerful at the same time neglecting to support youth projects and support small, leaving displacement of the breaches of the rules of equality and justice. He stressed that all these policies have to hit them with despair and frustration over what they endured endures humans. ”


 


One of the immigrants say, “the decision to flee from the country was the only decision remaining for me to continue to life even if that decision has to die – what is the difference between a slow death here and a quick death in the sea?”.


 


Another said “What motivates us to sacrifice our lives after all this despair that the decision to die is the only option remaining for the passage to a decent life … especially with this option if the book would lead me to escape to the beach to achieve their dreams of success”


 


Other immigrants came to escape, after all they had suffered to obtain a university degree and work in more than a dozen places and failing to keep any of them say, “It has been my dream and the only time that is far from the village in any way, even if they lied I will be traveling to Europe that culminated in May trip flight full of risk … something called the “success” … This was my dream … I did not see the other … and I was willing to pay the price for my life to achieve this “success”.


 


Then the report concludes with a number of observations and recommendations to confirm that the immigrants are part of the solution and not the problem, and the report stresses that migration and the movement of people from one home to another in order to work or is otherwise a right of all human beings that should not be constrained for political reasons, economic, social, and consequently must stop the violations suffered by migrants and to address the problems that led to the resurgence of illegal immigration and address the lack of security, development, equality and stop the exploitation and abuse suffered by illegal immigrants and to provide protection for them, and we must demand that governments ratify the Convention on Migrant Workers and demand that governments that have ratified the Convention, the implementation of was to ensure their rights and should be noted that the agreement released by the United Nations in 1990 has been the deposit of the twenty ratifications necessary for its entry into force until 2003.


 


Unfortunately, all the European countries had not ratified the Convention as well as the U.S. Australia and Canada, despite the fact that most of these countries are countries of immigrant, and governments must be held accountable for neglecting to do its part in ensuring the human rights of their people and tolerance in the continuing violations of the rights of migrants by the brokers.


 


It is also a must to take the necessary action by governments to activate and strengthen the International Labor Organization conventions on the rights of eight immigrants, which took place most of their countries, especially the Migration for Employment Convention No. 97 of 1949 and the Migrant Workers Convention No. 143 of 1975, which stipulate the need for the treatment of migrants living on their lands on an equal footing with citizens to ensure their human rights, which confirmed the country”s laws and the use of international mechanisms to hold governments to do their role in the development and improvement of human rights and stop the violations of the rights of migrants.


 


In Egypt, the government signed the Convention on the rights of migrants and did not offer programs of its various ministries, especially Foreign Affairs and the labor force, or the Federation of Egyptian workers and realistic solutions to solve the problems of migrants and therefore, the negligence of the government in carrying out its obligation to address the growing phenomenon and the reasons for the improvement of the status of immigrants is a violation of the provisions of the Convention.


 


We must review the laws which violate the rights of immigrants and a new law that protects their rights in an integrated safety, freedom and equality.


 


It is a must to release the detainees and to stop their exploitation and swindling them of the Immigration and brokers must be made aware of the community to stop the misinformation about the roles of immigrant “victims” as some media describe illegal immigrants as criminals, terrorists and beggars although they are victims of despotism, corruption and neglect of the government policies.


 


In the end, the Center calls all non-governmental organizations and cooperation for the submission of reports to the United Nations bodies on the status of migrants, especially as the government submitted a report to the United Nations in May 2006, but unfortunately did not ask for solutions to the problems of migrant workers or processors to improve their situation, which requires the Commission to report to the UN Migrant Workers parallel to the report of the government to stop the violations suffered by migrants.


 


In conclusion, the Center calls the relevant government agencies and members of the People”s Councils and local civil society organizations for the need to adopt a new initiative based on fair rights-based and developmental perspectives alternative to the security perspective being applied to halt the growing phenomenon of illegal migration and to protect the rights of migrants to a dignified life, liberty and security and to ensure a more equitable and humane society to all people.